The present invention relates to an introducer sheath, and to a method for inserting an article into a body opening of a patient through the introducer sheath.
The insertion of medical instruments through a pre-dilated hole in a patient's body is often accomplished in relatively straightforward fashion. An axial force is exerted on the instrument, thereby forcing the instrument through the opening into the desired internal part of the body. In certain medical procedures, however, medical professionals may encounter difficulties when inserting an instrument through a pre-dilated hole. In these instances, the axial force causes an undesired axial extension of the opening and increases the trauma experienced by the patient at the site. This axial extension can be particularly problematic in certain medical procedures, such as a tracheostomy, where a dilator is advanced into the trachea through the pre-dilated hole to open the trachea for introduction of a tracheostomy tube. In this instance, the axial force exerted by the dilator may cause the trachea to collapse, thereby further increasing the trauma to the patient and preventing the establishment of proper ventilation. In order to minimize the possibility of a tracheal collapse, the physician must repeatedly insert and withdraw one or more dilators at incrementally greater distances and/or incrementally greater diameters until the desired dilated diameter is obtained. This process can be very time-consuming at the very time that prompt action may be critical to the patient's well-being.
Some manufacturers have attempted to minimize this problem by providing dilators having a hydrophilic external surface to reduce the amount of friction encountered upon dilation, and thereby reducing the amount of axial force that is exerted on the trachea. Although the use of such coated dilators is somewhat effective in reducing the amount of friction encountered during dilation, there remains a desire to even further reduce the forces exerted on the body opening during dilation, thereby further minimizing the trauma to the patient.